Shanté Keys and the New Year's Peas Activity - Albert Whitman ...

“Over in the Meadow” by Olive A. Wadsworth, illustrated by Ezra Jack
Keats
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, illustrated by
Susan Jeffers
“Ten Little Lambs” by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
(internal rhyme)
“What Kind of Seeds Are These” by Heidi Bee Roemer, illustrated by
Olena Kassian
This analysis can be a prelude to the students writing their own rhyming poems
or books.
Writing Resolutions
We adults often think of things we want to improve about ourselves on January
1 st . But what about your students? First, have them write three things they would
like to improve about themselves during the year. Explain that it doesn’t have to
be anything earth shattering—it can be as simple as
“I will go to bed on time.”
“I will play outside more.”
“I will eat my veggies, even if I don’t like them.”
Now that students have thought about the things they can do to improve
themselves, have the students break into groups to discuss and write the
resolutions they can make as a class to improve their classroom and their school.
This, also, does not have to be huge. It can be as simple as the students will put
their chairs in when they leave the lunchroom, or they can pick up paper around
the school grounds. Direct students to write their resolutions in complete
sentences. Post these on a bulletin board so the class can monitor its progress in
achieving its resolutions.
Reader's Theater
If you are looking for opportunities to utilize oral reading in your classroom, use Shanté
Keys as a Readerʹs Theater! Having the students read as the different characters will keep
them engaged in the story while giving them fluency training. Iʹve reworked the script
to identify the speaking parts, added narrators to make smoother transitions, and added
some lines to fill out the parts. All of this should make it easy for you to perform in the
classroom.
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